She looked down the face of the pyramid, the steps they had navigated not nearly as evident from this angle.“Let’s be on our way, shall we?”
He lifted his gaze to the horizon.“I, uh, never thought going down might be more difficult than climbing,” he groused as Diana stepped in front of him and began making her way down, bending into almost a sitting position before reaching down with a booted foot to feel for the next step.Her kid-gloved hands gripped the stones as she went.
“Just follow my bum,” she teased.
Attempting to copy her lead, he stopped on the next step down and took a steadying breath.“Diana,” he called out.“This seems far steeper than forty-three degrees,” he complained.
She turned and glanced up, alarm showing on her face.Immediately understanding his hesitance, she said, “It is rather steep, darling.I think it would be safer if we faced the rocks and went down backwards.Sort of crawl down.”
When he saw her do just that, he followed suit, his moves far more careful than they had been when they were climbing.Once the steps were less steep, he finally turned around and bounded down the rest of the stairs to discover Omar watching them, which meant the dragoman must have come around the southeast corner when they were both facing the pyramid.They hadn’t seen him when they were surveying the horizon.
He glanced back up to where they had been and frowned.From the ground, he spied the block upon which they had stopped.“It certainly doesn’t look as if we were fifty feet up,” he murmured.
Diana winced at seeing how the golden-red dust of the desert covered his boots and pantaloons.“Do not discount your achievement, darling.”She turned and made her way to the guide, wondering how long he had been watching them.“I did not go inside.I didn’t even make it all the way to the entrance,” she said before Omar could ask.Randy finally joined them, his face red with exertion.
Or perhaps the sun.His top hat barely provided any shade for his face.
“I am glad you did not go inside.There are bats,” Omar stated, as if he thought the mention of them would be a deterrent for her.
Diana tittered.“I thought you were going to say ‘snakes’,” she replied.
“There could be some of them as well,” the dragoman commented.He waved for them to join him as he headed back the way he had come.“The others should be done with their picnic,” he explained.“I told your captain I would have you at the dock this afternoon to meet thedhahabîyeh.He is probably already there.”
By the time they rejoined the others on the east side of the pyramid, the remains of the picnic had been removed and everyone was heading for their respective hantours.
“Ride with me?”Randy asked.
Diana directed a quick glance in Helen’s direction, and the young lady nodded her understanding.
Especially when Tom helped Helen up and into a hantour.
